Famous for its 5-kilometer long powdery-greyish sand beaches, Gubat in Sorsogon offers visitors many water activities. Its strong waves make it ideal for surfing, while its powdery white sand is perfect for beach volleyball. But if lazing under the sun is more your thing, you’ll feel right at home, too, in this relatively unspoiled spot in Bicol.
Bicol may not be the first place you think of when talking about places to surf, but it is slowly making waves (pun intended) in the surfing industry.
As an increasingly popular destination for surfers, Gubat is fast-becoming a solid tourism draw. It has hosted the National Surfing Competition in the last couple of years, and there are two surf camps in the area, which are engaged in community-based rural tourism, empowering locals and helping protect the environment.
Perhaps the most famous attractions in the area are the Rizal Beach and Buenavista Beach.
Rizal Beach’s long stretch of white sand and clear water is dreamy, rivaling those found in its more famous sister provinces, Camarines Sur and Catanduanes. It has waves similar to what you’ll find in more popular surfing destinations like Siargao and La Union, except this area is significantly less crowded.
The Buenavista Beach, on the other hand, is one of Sorsogon’s best kept secrets—until surfers “discovered” it and kept coming back because they fell in love with the place. Like the Rizal Beach, it also has a long stretch of gradually sloping and fine cream-colored sand and awesome blue water that leads to the Pacific Ocean.
Other tourist attractions in Gubat include the Dulangan-Nasipit Estuary, with its glowing planktons and dancing fireflies; the Malawmawan Island, which boasts of the breathtaking view of two of the most active volcanoes in the Bicol Region—the Bulusan Volcano in the west and the Mayon Volcano in the north. With its almost white fine sand, a magnificent sand bar adorns its shores with crystal clear waters ideal for swimming and aqua adventure activities.
Then there’s also the Caparos Peak, one of the most visited tourist attractions in the area. Its amazing sea landscape invites guests to bring out the photographer and model in them with a gorgeous backdrop waiting for them.
All of this is to say that Gubat should be on your bucket list once leisure travel resumes. Aside from the beautiful beaches, travelers would appreciate the locals’ genuine love for the surrounding environment that has given them so much to enjoy and be proud of on a daily basis.